Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

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Other trust fund projects

Oakland County

■ Purchase of eight acres of land on Shiawassee Lake in Springfield Township. Total cost: $133,200, including a local match of $33,300. ■ Purchase of 291 acres on Young Lake in the state-owned Holly Recreation Area in Holly. Total cost: $3 million. No local match. ■ Development of a rest room and storage building at Grant Park in Clawson. Total Cost: $80,000, with a $30,000 local match. ■ Development of a universally accessible kayak and canoe launch at Independence Oaks County Park. Total cost: $50,300, with a $12,600 local match. St. Clair County County

■ Purchase of 9.4 acres along the north channel of the St. Clair River to be used as a county park with fishing piers, canoe and kayak launch, swimming beach and park facilities. Total cost: $400,00, with a local match of $104,000. ■ Development of a skate park at Brockway Township Community Park. Total cost: $75,400, with a $38,700 local match. ■ Development of playground, picnic area, fish cleaning station and remodeling of bathroom facilities at Chrysler Beach along the St. Clair River in Marysville. Total cost: $399,900, with a $160,000 local match. Wayne County

■ Improvements to Horizon Park in Belleville, including a floating dock, canoe and kayak launch and park facilities. Total cost: $172,4900, with a $51,700 local match. ■ Development of Elizabeth Park Greenway and Shoreline, including a trail connecting Grosse Ile Parkway in Trenton, shoreline stabilization, invasive species removal and fishing and kayak access to the Detroit River. Total cost: $995,000, with a local match of $695,000. Ingham County

LANSING — Michigan’s vast labyrinth of recreational trails could get a significant boost in state funding from the Natural Resources Trust Fund — and lead to lots more opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts.

Of the 32 acquisition and 44 development projects, about 20 of the proposals have to do with purchasing, expanding or improving trails across the state.

That’s the highest percentage of trail projects proposed by the NRTF since its inception in 1976.

“We’ve done lots of surveys and public meetings, and it’s very clear that trails are the number one interest and need identified by the public,” said Steve DeBrabander, director of grants management for the DNR. “And we’ve got the governor’s initiative to make this the trail state.”

Gov. Rick Snyder unveiled plans in 2012 for a signature 924-mile trail that would stretch from Belle Isle in Detroit to the Wisconsin border in the Upper Peninsula, connecting existing trails with new pathways for bikers, hikers, birders and others.

Now it’s up to the state Department of Natural Resources and others to sort out the details. To make the trail a reality, about 81 miles of new trails would be needed in the Lower Peninsula and 152 miles in the Upper Peninsula to connect to existing trails.

The Legislature began considering the $46.5 million in proposed projects Wednesday, including $27.6 million in trust fund dollars and $18.8 million in local matches, when the list was approved unanimously by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The Department of Natural Resources is hoping for quick approval of the projects so work can begin this spring on everything from resurfacing the Hart-Montague Trail in west Michigan, to the purchase of 8.3 miles of abandoned rail line in Detroit and Highland Park, and 4.5 miles of rail line in Pontiac. Both segments of trails would be converted to trails and connect with existing rails-to-trails lines.

The cost of most of the projects would be born by the state, with a match from the local cities and towns. The Detroit stretch of trail would cost the trust fund $3.4 million and the City of Detroit and Highland Park $1.1 million.

It would provide a link between the Dequindre Cut near the Detroit River and the 26-mile Inner Circle Greenway loop. In Pontiac, the trust fund would spend $370,000 to purchase a section that would provide a link on the Clinton River Trail, while the city would pay $130,000.

“We require that match be secured early on in the process,” DeBrabander said. “They have to document to us that they have a secure match. We don’t want to move forward with projects that aren’t going to be successful.”

Another priority for the fund this year are water trail projects, which would provide recreational opportunities along the state’s waterways, like boat launches, campsites and picnic areas.

“These trails give residents a safe way to recreate, and trails typically don’t have a lot of problems with traffic,” DeBrabander said. “It’s a great way to get outside for hiking, and it’s usually close to home.”

Nancy Krupiarz, executive director of the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, said the trust fund money is essential, but more is needed.

“We definitely need more funding to fill in critical linkages of trails,” she said. “We’ve got all of these existing trails, and we should be making the most of them by linking them together.”

The state has 2,712 miles of rails-to-trails lines and about 1,000 or so more miles of other types of trails, Krupiarz said.

“We’re hoping to finish the Great Lake to Lake Trail,” she said, referring to a trail linking South Haven along Lake Michigan to Port Huron along Lake Huron. “That would link 15 existing trails; but if we had some dollars, we could fill in the 100 miles we need to link the trails.”